As we approach the new year, it’s time to start thinking about the changes we will make in 2023. One significant change to consider: upgrading your calendar.
And we’re not just talking about picking out new planners, wall calendars, and desk calendars (though that certainly is a fun way to start the year). It’s also time to do yourself a favor and improve your law firm’s workflows by upgrading to comprehensive cloud-based calendar software.
With cloud-based calendar software, you can update your calendar from anywhere, using any device, to keep your team in the loop about important deadlines and events. Let’s look at a few of our favorite benefits of calendar management software for law firms.
1. Manage deadlines
One of your most important jobs as a lawyer? Hitting all of your filing and court deadlines.
Use the calendar management tools in your legal practice management software to:
Set automated reminders that notify you of upcoming deadlines days in advance
Use calendar invites to keep every team member in the loop about important meetings (you can even color code clients and events!)
Automatically calculate the statute of limitations, so you don’t have to worry about accidentally counting the days wrong
2. Monitor task progress
As you map out your legal cases, you’ll need to assign tasks to various team members at each stage of the process.
With cloud-based calendar software, you can:
Assign tasks to your team members, complete with due dates
Receive notifications when tasks are completed
Filter through tasks using tags assigned to specific clients or matter types
It may take some time to adjust, but after some trial and error, you’ll be sure to find the calendar configuration that works best for your team.
3. Seamlessly track time
No attorney wants to spend valuable time on tedious, non-billable tasks.
Use the calendar in your legal practice management software to:
Bill time for tasks with timers that start as soon as you open a document
Track billable time during an event (you can even submit time on behalf of certain attendees)
Better understand how your time is being spent for both hourly and flat billing rates—and the profitability of matters!
4. Communicate with clients
Maintaining a positive relationship with your clients is key to a successful law firm—and robust legal calendar software makes client communication easier than ever before.
With calendar management software included in your legal CRM, you can:
Easily set up appointments by sending clients a link to all your available times—all they need to do is to click to reserve the open time slot that works for them
Send automated reminders to clients about upcoming meetings via email or text
Give clients the option to cancel or reschedule appointments as needed
No more time wasted on phone tag and back-and-forth email messaging to find a time that works for both of you.
5. Integrate with tools you already use
If you’re already used to using certain tools at your law firm, it can feel daunting to switch over to an entirely new system. With calendar integrations in your legal practice management software, though, you can sync with familiar tools such as Outlook and Google Calendar to use data from both sources.
This will help you:
Avoid missing important calendar events or deadlines
Keep everyone on the same page with recurring events
Create matter-specific calendars that let your team add events or tasks as needed
Ready to save time in your work day, improve client convenience, and improve your team’s efficiency? Make the move to cloud-based calendar management software today.
As we approach the new year, it’s time to start thinking about the changes we will make in 2023. One significant change to consider: upgrading your calendar. And we’re not just talking about picking out new planners, wall calendars, and desk calendars (though that certainly is a fun way to start the year). It’s also…… Continue Reading